Sweet Dreams Are Made of This
by Merlin71
Summary: Takes place after Mistake. Stacy feels drawn to help Chase in the aftermath.


Summary: Takes place after the MISTAKE. Stacy feels drawn to help Chase in the aftermath.

**SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS**

Stacy was glad Chase got let off with nothing more than a week's suspension. Sure he had made a mistake, and a patient had died because of it. But he hadn't been the only one contributing to Kayla's death. House shared in the guilt, and so did Kayla's brother. A part of Stacy couldn't get past the fact that House hadn't told Chase his father was dying. Hadn't allowed the young doctor the chance to be with his father at the end. Of course, it was as much Chase's father's fault as House's. In the end, it was a mute point though. Time for everyone to move on.

Needing some time to unwind, Stacy decided to make a pit stop at the local bar. One glass of wine to relax with then she'd head for home. Only, to her surprise, she spotted Chase sitting alone in a corner booth. She ordered her wine at the bar then grabbed her glass and moved to join him. He was still in the same clothes from before, only he'd shucked his jacket and tie and he looked about 18 years old. Far too young to drink, that's for sure, though the glass in front of him appeared to be untouched.

"Hi," Stacy offered in greeting.

Chase looked up, blinking hard and looking startled. Then he appeared to recognize her and his body relaxed. "Hi," he said back.

Stacy smiled warmly. "Mind if I join you? I hate drinking alone."

"Sure." Chase gestured to the seat across from him.

"Been here long?" Stacy asked, as she sat down and got comfortable.

Chase shrugged. "Maybe an hour."

Stacy studied him for a moment, seeing an innate sadness in his beautiful eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine." It came out as a pat answer and Chase didn't look at her as he spoke. He just stared down into the full glass that was sweating from the melted ice.

"Drink not to your liking?" Stacy queried, hoping to draw him out a bit. She was beginning to recognize the signs of depression and it worried her. Chase was distracted, almost lethargic and very withdrawn. She could tell that it was an effort for him to respond to her and keep his expression and his voice neutral.

A soft sound escaped Chase. Maybe a sigh, maybe something else. He rubbed one fingertip around the rim of the glass and his voice when he spoke was deep and aching. "It's gin," he said softly. "My mum's favorite."

Stacy nodded. He was missing his mother. Not so surprising. He was all alone far from home. "Have you talked to her today?" she prompted.

"Mum died ten years ago," Chase announced. "Drank herself to death." With that he grabbed the glass and downed the contents in basically one long swallow.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry, Chase!" The apology was out before she could stop it and Stacy felt horrified and horrible. Not that she could have known, but it explained a lot about Chase in one fell swoop. Mother drank herself to death, father died without bothering to let Chase know he was even sick. Parent's of the year, the Chase's. Stacy found herself hating them on Chase's behalf.

He smiled at her words, looking almost happy. "Doesn't matter, does it? Life goes on and all that." He pushed out of the booth and stood up. "I've got to go. Nice seeing you. And...thank you, for what you did. For helping me."

Stacy was on her feet and reaching for his arm. "Don't go," she beseeched him. "Stay and talk with me." She had a sinking feeling that if she let him go now, let him be alone, that something bad would happen.

"This isn't a good place for me to be right now," Chase replied, gently disengaging her fingers from his forearm. "I just need to be alone for awhile."

"I think that's a bad idea." Stacy had never been shy about speaking her mind and she sure as hell wasn't going to start now. Chase needed help and she was going to give it to him

He seemed to catch on to her train of thought and looked amused. "I'm not suicidal, if that's what you're thinking. House would tell you I'm far to big a wuss to even think about hurting myself."

Stacy snorted. "House just likes to hear himself talk. But if you don't like it here, let's go somewhere else."

"Why?" Chase locked eyes with her as he waited for a reply.

"Because I don't trust you to be by yourself right now," she replied, being completely and openly honest with him. She figured he could use some of that right now. Positive honesty.

Chase looked surprised but not angry. "I'm not going to do anything stupid," he told her. "Not right this minute anyway. I'm sure I'll do something stupid again tomorrow or the next day. I wouldn't want to bring my quota down, or disappoint House. But I'm good for today." This time he was reaching for her arm and giving it a squeeze. "Thanks for giving a damn though. It's kinda nice." With that he made to step by her.

But Stacy wouldn't let him pass. "Let's go to your place."

"It's a mess!" Chase protested.

"I don't care." Stacy grabbed his hand and pulled him to the exit and then they were in her car and Chase was, reluctantly, giving her directions to his place. It turned out to be a loft apartment at the top of what reminded her of a brownstone. "Nice," Stacy said as he ushered her inside. "And it's not a mess." In fact, everything looked to be in it's place, not even any shirts or socks strewn about, and there were no dust bunnies to be found. "Maid service?" Men weren't usually the best of housekeepers.

Chase snorted at that. "Hardly. I don't have alot of junk around so it's not that hard to keep clean." He gestured toward the overstuffed couch and said, "Have a seat. Can I get you anything?"

Stacy spotted a take out menu for her favorite Thai place by the cordless phone. "How about we order something in then watch some movies." She had also spotted a DVD rack filled with movies by the flat screen TV. Other than that and the sound system, there wasn't much that screamed money at her.

"Um...okay, we can do that," Chase allowed. He shrugged off his jacket then reached for the phone. "What do you like?"

"Number 7." Stacy had it memorized.

Chase laughed. "That's one of my favorites," he said as he punched in the number for the place.

Stacy glided around the room as she listened to him order, her sharp eyes spotting something of interest in the corner. A black case sat on a small corner table and she popped it open. "You play the violin?" For some reason that surprised the hell out of her.

"Since I was a kid," Chase allowed, moving to her side to reclose the case and looking both embarrassed and sheepish. "Please don't tell anyone, especially House. He has more than enough ammunition to torture me with."

"I won't tell a soul so long as you play for me later," Stacy promised. She laughed when Chase mock-glared at her, even as she caught her breath at how beautiful he was. Not that it was an easy thing to forget. Chase had the kind of beauty that drew people to him like moths to a flame. A luminous and ageless kind of beauty that made her think of angels in heaven. He had a purity and innocence as well, that she hoped would never be tarnished or shattered. "I really want to hear you play," she told him, sincerity plain in her voice.

Chase sighed then nodded. "Fine, I'll play for you. But don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not that good."

Stacy quirked an eyebrow at him. "Somehow, I don't believe you. So, do you play any other intstruments?" By the face he made she could tell he did. "I already promised to keep your secret, Chase...so spill. What else do you play?"

"Piano and guitar. Just fooling around." He was smiling a bit as he spoke, looking wistful. Then he seemed to realize he was losing focus and he shook himself and headed for the kitchen area. "Food will be here soon. Why don't you pick out a movie."

"Got any chick flicks?" Stacy called after him, and she loved the sound of his laughter as it drifted back to her. She strolled over to the DVD's and picked out something she figured would surprise Chase. Van Helsing. She loved Sci-Fi movies and indulged herself whenever she could. Apparently Chase liked them too, which surprised her a bit. Although he had a rather broad spectrum of choices. Some art films, some classics, a few action flicks and some comedies. There were dramas interspersed as well and after wandering away from the movies, Stacy indulged her curiousity by gazing at his bookshelf. Same kind of diversity.

Chase came back with plates and napkins and utensils. "Find anything you like?"

Stacy held up the movie. "Want to start now or wait for the food?"

"We can start." Chase took the movie, put it in, grabbed the remote and settled himself on the couch.

After a moment Stacy joined him. It felt good to just kick back and relax after the intensity of the day. They watched in companionable silence till the food came, then they bantered about the movie as they ate and when it was done they put another one in and scarfed down the cheesecake Chase had in his fridge. There was a bakery just a mile down the road and he admitted he had a fondness for sweets. After cheesecake they had coffee and stuck in one more movie, but ten minutes into it, Chase fell asleep with his head in her lap.

Stacy watched him, smiling as she combed her fingers through his hair. She knew she should go home now, but she knew she wouldn't. During a bathroom break she had called Mark on her cell phone to tell him she would be working late and not to expect her till morning. It wasn't the first time she had done that and he had simply bid her not to work too hard.

"Sweet dreams, Chase," she whispered. Then she leaned her head back, let her eyes drift closed and indulged herself in her own dreams.

**The End?**


End file.
